Community

As a parent at a cooperative pre-school, you actively participate in you child's educational experience. Members join a community of parents and teachers that works together in the best interests of Milldam Nursery School students.

We strive to make Milldam Nursery School accessible to all families. All families are asked to participate in our cooperative community in a variety of ways, as this support is critical to the success of Milldam Nursery School.

Responsibilities

Classroom Participation

Parents assist the teachers in their child's classroom on a rotating basis. This is a wonderful way to connect with children in the classroom environment and learn about their day-to-day at school, get to know our fantastic teachers and staff, meet other Milldam families, and support the school on an ongoing basis.

Work Days

Families are asked to participate in 2 "work days" per year. These volunteer days offer a variety of "jobs" to choose from and are critical to the maintenance of the school. Each work day is 3 hours or less.

Committee Participation

Parents are asked to serve on a committee of their choosing. The committees are the backbone of Milldam's operations. Jobs are both large and small, and we’re sure to find something that works with everyone's availability, skills and interests.

All School Meetings

Milldam holds two annual meetings during the school year, in the Fall and Spring.

Fundraising

Milldam families are asked to support fundraising events throughout the year, namely by purchasing and/or selling tickets to our annual events.

Outside the Classroom

Milldam is truly a strong community. We believe that a connected community is the best kind of community, so we provide many opportunities for both parents and children to grow their relationships beyond the classroom. A few examples of community activities sponsored by Milldam:

Summer Classroom Playdates: To ensure that students are not seeing entirely new faces on the first day of school, a Classroom Coordinator will schedule summer play dates in the weeks leading up the first day of school. Parents and students can get to know each other in a casual environment.

Teacher Summer Home Visit: To help student transition smoothly to their classroom, each teacher visits each student at their home the week before the first day of school. Teachers often bring a book they may read in the classroom, or another fun activity to help students get excited for the school year.

Classroom Potlucks: Each classroom hosts a Fall and a Spring potluck for parents. The casual setting allows parents to get to know each other beyond the context of classroom.

All School Parent Socials: Milldam hosts a Fall and a Spring All School Parent Social as means by which to connect the entire school. Of course, there are ample opportunities for parents to get to know the other parents in their children’s classrooms, but we also seek to provide unity among the entire school.

Children’s Seasonal or Holiday Parties: Parents in each classroom sometimes coordinate after school parties for the children to celebrate together outside the classroom.

End of Year Class Picnic

Parent Education

Each semester, we provide Milldam parents with an educational event that supports our core philosophies at Milldam. Parents are invited to hear from experts in their fields about a relevant topic. Recent events include:

Screening of "School's Out," a documentary about an outdoor based Kindergarten in Switzerland

Presentation by Kate Grandbois, of Greater Boston Speech and Language Therapy, about developmental obstacles common in young children

Cooking class with Debra Stark, of Debra's Natural Gourmet, about how to incorporate kid-friendly healthy foods and recipes into your child's diet